The U.S. ambassador to Turkey, the "disreputable" Jeff Flake, is leaving Turkey after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan closed his doors to him due to the end of his term in office. Ambassador Jake Flake, whose term in Ankara is concluding, spoke to Anadolu Agency about U.S.-Turkey relations, his life in the country, and how he spends time with his wife, Cheryl Flake, at the embassy residence. The newspaper reported that he was happy to be in Turkey and had been looking forward to coming to Turkey for three years, finding it difficult to leave now.
President Erdoğan announced in April 2023 that he refused to conduct further communications with the U.S. ambassador to Turkey after the latter met with Erdoğan's opponent in the elections at the time, the sole opposition candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. Erdoğan emphasized that the doors to his residence were "closed" to the ambassador, who "would no longer be able to enter." It is noteworthy that Flake later attended Erdoğan's inauguration and a reception at the Turkish leader's residence during U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to Turkey.
